This Saturday in Mankato we've got the best team from the Mountain East Conference coming in to face the best team from the Northern Sun Conference in a battle of unbeaten squads.

Most of those who are reading this know very little of the MEC and this Mountain Lion team that hails from West Virginia. In this column I will look to break down this matchup and shed some more light on who's coming to play the Mavs this weekend.

Tale of the Tape:


Concord
Offense: 44.6ppg
Defense: 21.1ppg

Mankato
Offense: 42.5ppg
Defense: 12.8ppg


Players to Watch (Concord)

QB:#12 Brian Novak (5-11, 200lbs, SO) - 263ypg passing, 33 TD, 12 INT
RB: #20 Calvinaugh Jones (5-9, 200lbs, JR) - 128ypg rushing, 12 TD - All American
WR: #4 Ryan Stewart (5-9, 180lbs, JR) - 90ypg receiving, 13 TD
WR: #5 TJ Smith (6-0, 175lbs, FR) - 55ypg receiving, 12 TD
S: #6 Derrick Johnson (5-10, 190lbs, JR) - 7 INT, teams leading tackler




Concord

When watching Concord it's easy to see why they've been having success on the offensive side of the ball. They run a spread and often have 1 back or sometimes no-backs, and have explosive skill players. At running back Cav Jones was a D2 All-American that has good balance and runs behind a zone running scheme. The Mountain Lions run the ball about 70% of the time and are able to create huge plays in the passing game off play-action. They are not looking to throw more than about 20-25 times a game.

The slot receivers for Concord (Smith and Stewart) are both quick and catch screens and also can make a lot of big plays over the top on stop-and-go routes. Each of these flankers are averaging 23 yards-per-catch and have combined for 25 scores. Concord gets decent contributions from a few other wideouts as well and do a great job of setting up the pass with their running game.

The offensive line for the Mountain Lions is quick, especially the Center, but they are undersized versus what Mankato has been facing this year in the NSIC and the playoffs.

On the defensive side of the ball Concord gives up 128 yards per game against the run but 238 ypg against the pass. The Lions defense has done a good job of getting turnovers, as the squad is +9 for the year. A factor that cannot be ignored is the blocked field goals from a strong push up the middle that the Mountain Lions have been getting. Every game I was looking through had a blocked field goal, often at key times.


Mankato

The Mavs have looked a little different in the playoffs than they did during the season. With Ricky Lloyd playing nearly all of the postseason so far, the Mavs are opening up the passing game but still pounding the rock with Connor Thomas. Dorian Buford continues to be a great deep threat but now the Mavs are mixing others in the passing game and with Lloyd getting a lot of minutes he's making the most of his playing time. The Mavs offensive line continues to be a difference maker and they should be a very big factor come Saturday.



The Mavs defense was able to shut down and turnover a strong UMD offense, limiting their running game and not allowing the Bulldogs to come back through the air. This Mavs D is really a tough group to come back on with the way they can collapse the pocket.


The Call:

Being a run-first team Concord is likely not going to match up well with a Mankato defense that can stop the run and is bigger upfront in their front four than the Mountain Lions will be accustom to seeing. If Concord looks to make it a passing game they will need to protect their passer against the Mavs (far easier said than done). If Concord can get their flankers the ball in space that could be a real threat for Mankato secondary that doesn't have the same speed as the Lions.

The one area that Concord looks easily better is the special teams. Between the blocked kicks and the kicking game itself, the Lions are just better at making big plays in this part of the game. Concord also has 5 touchdown returns and averages 16 yards per punt return. If I'm Mankato I play it safe on the kicks and make Concord beat my defense, not my special teams.

Personally I don't think that Concord will be able to play with enough poise on the road to play clean football against the Mavs at the Blake. This is a very young road team who's not accustom to success and winning playoff games on the road against top level opponents.

I like the Mavs to win the battle at the line on both sides of the ball and for the Mavs offense to have a lot of success against a Concord defense that's given up plenty of points over the last month and has gotten out-gained in each of the last 3 games by nearly 100 yards per.



A matchup of two unbeaten teams in the semis should make for a fantastic contest, and maybe it will be, but Mankato looks physically quite a bit bigger and more physical than the road team in this one. Mankato looks like they are peaking right now and explosive offensively. If the Mavs can win the battle upfront and get a few turnovers from the Lions (as expected) I think they get out to a big early lead and roll in this one. The Mountain Lions could be a very dangerous opponent if they can get the ball to their wideouts, but I'm taking the Mavs to limit them in pretty much all areas.

MSU-Mankato 51-24


(All Mankato pics from Pat Christman, Mankato Free Press)